Reenforced hollow fracturable building unit



June 21,1927. 1,633,192

G. D. REAGAN REENFORCED HOLLOW FRAG'FURABLE BUILDING UNIT Filed March 10, 1926 I7? ve n F02 Patented June 21, 1927.

UNITED. STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE D. REAGAN, OF OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA.

, Application med larch 10, 1926. Serial No. 93,698.

My present invention is an improved form of fracturable hollow building unit of the general type shown and described in my prior Patent No. 1,495,439 dated May 27,

8 1924, and 'of my prior and copending application Ser. No. 674,289, filed November 12, 1923.

In my development of the art of fracturable hollow clay building units, preferably of an area suitable for the thickness of the wall and of refractory material adaptable to resemble standard brick, I have illustrated, shown, described and claimed various forms and modifications having different advantageous features, in my prior and copending applications on the same, Ser. No. 89,621, filed February 20, 1926, Ser. No. 90,642, filed February 25, 1926, and Ser. No. 93,699, filed March 10, 1926. In the present form I have devised a hollow building unit having great strength, being reenforced at a plurality of points and positions and capable of being fracturable along a multiplicity of lines, to

form sections or portions less than a quarter subdivisionthe practical limit of divisibility in my prior forms. Furthermore, an important feature in my present reenforced hollow building unit consists in the capability-in a wall structure-of applying as many or as much mortar over the face of the reenforoed block as may be desired to withstand the compressive load of the Wall in which the block or unit is built. -Thus I may apply, two, three or more strips of mortar across any of the plurality of webs, or pairs of webs. or plurality of webs, the reenforced building unit giving capacity to hold a mortar course throughout any predetermined or desired lines, cross-wise,

lengthwise or diagonally if desired, certain forms of my present block affording capacity to be entirely covered by a continuous mortar course if preferred. Furthermore the present reenforced hollow building unit permits the preserving of any one or more open spaces throu bout the wall, which may be desired. This is of considerable value and importance, as permitting wires, pipes, insulating material, or the like to be continuous throughout the wall structure and through different spaces which may be in alinement. The plurality of small voids or spaces between the adjacent sets and pairs of 55, ribs also accord theadvantages of a slight keying of the mortar therein, thus firmly interlocking the adjacent courses of the building unit and tying-together with great solidity a fracturable section or sections to or in the wall. This form of building unit accords practically equivalent strength when either positioned with spaces vertically or with the spaces and voids arranged horizontally, as the plurality of pairs of ribs or webs are in alinem'ent in both positions, and give fully as much strength in the wall as a solid brick, while aifording the advantages of lightness, and hollow air spaces. My

present form of building unit has the further advantage of facilitating the forcing of the column of clay material through a die, giving substantially equivalent or balanced resistance throughout, and furthermore insuring even drying, shrinking and burning to such an extent that the entire building unit is practically vitrified and of great strength.

Hence I believe that the present building unit, while a hollow tile, is of equivalent strength to thatof solid brick, because of the added strength of'the interior webs.

Further features of the invention, details and advantages, will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, illustrating preferred embodiments of my present invention.

Fig. 1 is apartial perspective view of a. wall structure;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one form of block utilized in said wall;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another form of block utilized in the wall;

' Fig. 4 is a perspective of a modification formed as a cube,0r longerand Fig. 5 is a perspective of a still further modification.

The block 1.illustrated in Fig. 2 is comprised oftwo substantially equal half seetions.2 and 3, divided longitudinally by a 1 long narrow void 4 and having fracturable connections 5 and 6 forming kerfs 7 and 8 with formed corner structures, as illustrated.

This construction, with only the two fracturable connections '5 and 6, renders it extremely simple to divide this particular-form.

of tile or unit into halves. Each half is formed with quarters separated by fracturable connections or webs 9, 9, 9, and narrow voids 10, 10. Each quarter has four 'walls 11, 12, 13 and 11,. within which wallsare formed lateral webs 15, 15, formin voids 16, 16, 16. The webs 15 are pre rably equally spaced, so that the voids 16 also be of equal dimensions. The block 1 is thus readily divisible into halves, quarters, three quarter sections, and may be divided into sections smaller than quarters with equal facility, such smaller sections being frequently desirable in wall and building construction. This block 1 is very strong and capable of carrying great loads, and a further very advantageous feature of this block, as well as the other blocks illustrated in the present application, is the fact that they can receive a'mortar bed or course over any portion, or all of the block, the voids be ing of insuflicient area to allow the mortar to fall down therein, the mortar simply keying into the voids, as illustrated at 17, Fi 1.

If desired the mortar bed may be laid the entire thickness of the wall with equal facility, thus affording an extremely strong, load-carrying structure and one capable of withstanding great compressive strains.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated a block or building unit 20, formed with two halves 21 and 22 having fract-urable connections 23 offset at opposite faces and forming kerfs 24, 24, thus providing formed predetermined corner structures at these fracturable connections. The block 20 also has a pair of fracturable connections 25 substantially at the center of the block, for greater strength. The block 20 is otherwise quite similar to the block 1, with the exception of the omission of one of the webs 9, leaving the narrow voids 26 separatingthe quarters of each half section, and the omission of one of the lateral webs in each quarter section, the block 20 having but two lateral interior webs 27 in each quarter, with voids 28, 28, at right angles to the long narrow voids 29, 29, mitead of parallel therewith as illustrated in This unit or block 20 is interchangeable at will with the block'l in a wall structure, and has the same capacity of load-carrying, withstanding compressive strains, and receiving a mortar bed of any desired width, none of the voids being of suflicient area to result in a waste of mortar due to falling within the void, and is capable of being broken'into sections smaller than quarters, with equal facility to the block 1. In Fig. 1 the block 20 is illustrated with a mortar strip 59 spread thereover, traversin and covering the webs 27 and voids 28 wlthout falling into the voids;

The block 30 illustrated in Fig. 4 embodies the advantageous features of both the blocks illustrated in Figs. 2 and-3, but having a single fracturable connection 31 at the center of the block. This block 30 is other.- wise similar tothe block 1 except for'the fact that in this form I provide two lateral webs 32 in each quarter, instead of three as' shown in Fig. 2. The block 30 is shown in cube form, or may be longer or shorter as desired, for use in partition walls, where the voids are horizontal rather than vertical.

The block 40, illustrated in Fig. 5, is substantially similar to the block 30, with a slight modification. This consists in having the fracturable connection 41 in alinement with the lateral web 42, and in adding, in each quarter, a pair of interior transverse webs 43, 43, which traverse the webs 42 and divide each quarter into a pluralit of voids, 44, 44, the openings ofeach void lieing substantially square. This block 40 is equally interchangeable with blocks 1 and 20 in a wall structure, but due to the peculiar construction of same is capable of withstanding enormous compressive strains and results in a building unit of great strength and loadcarrying capacity.

Each of the blocks illustrated in the present application, due to the fact that the webs and walls of each are of substantially the same dimensions, is more readily forced through a die; dries, burns and shrinks evenly, resulting in a practically vitrified block of great strength. In being forced through a die, these blocks give a substantially equivalent or balanced resistance throughout, thus facilitating manufacture.

The great strength of the blocks illustrated herein is due to the fact that substantially all the webs and walls are in alinement throughout, whether in vertical or horizontal position, and these blocks give full as much strength in the completed wa structure as a solid brick, while afiording the advantages of lightness, and hollow air spaces.

All of the blocks herein illustrated, also,

are capable of being divided into sections.

smaller than quarters, to which size my prior constructions have been practically limited,

and this is a great advantage in the present tile or block.

All the different forms of blocks may be of any appropriate size or dimensions, and of cubical or rectangular extent, capable of being made in an economical die machine, and wire-cut to length. In fact the wire cutting cross-wise of the line of travel of the column of clay is a desirable feature, as such wire-cutting will usually partially close the voids in the blocks, thereby preventing mortar from fallin thereinother than slightly extending ownwardly to key the walls and hence affording the united extent of a broad mortar base of all webs and the area of all voids, if desired, or of predetermined webs and voids. The blocks are used interchangeably, interlock completely, and fracture into extremely small subdivisions easily.

My invention is further described and defined in the form of claims as follows:

1. A divisible building unit of the kind described, comprising half sections united by fracturable connections along a distinct longitudinal line of fracture, each half section being divisible into quarter sections along distinct lines of fracture laterally of said first line of fracture, and each quarter section having a plurality of equally spaced transverse webs forming a plurality of equally spaced transverse voids.

2. A divisible building unit of the kind described, comprising half sections united by fracturable connections along a distinct longitudinal line of fracture, said fracturable connections being offset from the outer walls of the block, each halfsection being divisible into quarter sections along distinct lines of fracture laterally of said first line of fracture, and each quarter section having a plurality of equally spaced transverse webs forming a plurality of equally spaced transverse voids.

3. A divisible building unit of the kind described, comprising half sections united by fracturable connections along a distinct longitudinal line of fracture, said fracturable connections being offset from the outer walls of the block and defining an uninterrupted void therebetween, each half section being divisible into quarter sections along distinct lines of fracture laterally of said first line of fracture, and each quarter section having a plurality of equally spaced longitudinal Webs forming a plurality of equally spaced longitudinal voids.

4. A divisible building unit of the kind described, comprising half sections united by fracturable connections along a distinct longitudinal line of fracture, each half section being divisible into quarter sections along distinct lines of fracture laterally of said first line of fracture, and each quarter section having, in addition to its outer walls a plurality of e ually spaced transverse and longitudinal we s forming a plurality of equally spaced voids.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE D. REAGAN. 

